Robyn Archer, aristic director the Liverpool Capital of Culture suggests that art is becoming stagnant (with an Australian bias) in an article reproduced by the Sydney Morning Herald:
“We do not wish to debate the hard issues. We only want to know we have enough cash with which to live well and see our kids live well. And we are happy with politicians who tell us that these are their concerns, too. Australia is a world of ordinary people, happy to gossip on talk-back radio, but not to value the structures and resources (including art) that allow us to develop our critical and analytical powers.
“A climate of this sort is not one to breed artists who will dig into the depths, who have the potential to inspire and awaken the hidden richness in us all. Superficiality and public deception do not provide fertile ground in which art can take root and grow.”
It’s good to see some themes are global.